The official numbers in Brazil have a very scary story to tell, the number of cases of severe birth defects in the country have nearly doubled ever since the mosquito-borne Zika virus arrived in the region.
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There were nine fresh cases as of noon yesterday, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) in its daily update last night.
While Zika is spread primarily through a mosquito bite, HHS said it can also be sexually transmitted.
Nearly 90 percent of patients do not manifest symptoms of the virus.
The WHO also said it was likely that the Zika virus could trigger the Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that can result in paralysis, though conclusive proof may take years.
Strong community efforts on clean surrounding, including destruction of mosquito breeding places, is being pushed by the DOH.
But health officials said the investigations have not identified additional “active transmission” zones.
Congresswoman Grace Meng is a founding member and current Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Congressional Kids’ Safety Caucus, and represents the Sixth Congressional District of NY, which now has 625 cases of Zika – more than any other state, and 23 percent of all reported Zika cases in America. Chart A represents the rates of birth defects present per 100,000 live births, with the dark line representing the Northeast region of Brazil where Zika hit the country the hardest.
While the Zika-carrying mosquito exists in far-north Queensland, Dr Senanayake said the chance of it spreading locally is “very low” because health authorities are monitoring it.
The total number of Zika cases in Singapore was confirmed to be 275 as of Sept 6. Four involve pregnant women, but none in our part of the state.
The Government has earmarked $50 million to establish a fund to provide support for families of babies born with Zika-related microcephaly.
The Minister advised women confirmed to be Zika-infected to avoid getting pregnant and practise safe sex for at least eight weeks from the date of confirmation.
Singapore said on Thursday it did not know if the Zika virus detected in the country could cause the same birth defects and other disorders linked to an outbreak in Latin America.
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Singapore’s government has a long history of using aggressive spraying, information campaigns and heavy fines for homeowners who leave water vessels in the open, in a bid to control mosquito-borne dengue.
